Goals

Green Economy › Strategies

Advance Key Green Industry Sectors

Focusing the development strategy on the 5 sectors that provide the best opportunity for growth as well as a variety of jobs for Vancouver residents.

The focus of a green economic development strategy will be on those sectors that offer the best opportunities for growth, while also providing a variety of jobs for all Vancouver residents including those that face barriers to employment or would benefit from supported employment programs. Five green sectors offer the most opportunities for growth in Vancouver over the next decade:

  • Clean technology, in particular smart grid, power electronics and power conversion equipment
  • Green buildings, in particular green renovations and carbon neutral new construction
  • Waste management and recycling, in particular composting and materials salvage and recovery
  • Local food economy, in particular food processing and manufacturing
  • Sustainability services and education, in particular business consulting services and carbon accounting

Actions for this strategy

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Create a Business Retention, Expansion and Attraction Program
4

Staff and resources for a business retention, expansion and attraction (BREA) program focused on the key green sectors, to include:

  • Developing strategy for each sector, including sector hubs and international linkages
  • Green BREA program including attracting sustainability conferences and forums to Vancouver (ensuring events are carbon neutral); green sector incoming and outgoing trade missions; local business engagement and expansion program; ‘green incentives guide’ including financial and other incentives to assist with re-locating a green business to Vancouver
  • Build on Green Capital brand and efforts such as the Challenge Series to export Vancouver’s policy expertise in green design, construction etc.
  • VEDC resources to develop partnerships that will assist with export development in priority clusters such as green building and clean technology. Export promotion can help smaller Vancouver companies bring their products and services to the international market.
Green Pre-Procurement Program
4

Formal Green Pre-Procurement Program, starting with but not limited to clean technologies and green building, to create an ongoing opportunity for city purchasing category managers to consult with local technology companies prior to development of official RFPs. At regular sessions, staff can outline expected future projects while local firms provide information on what technologies are emerging locally. This information exchange prepares local firms for upcoming bids and helps city staff incorporate the latest technology into requests for proposals. It also helps to identify permitting and licensing issues well in advance of project roll out. Based on success of this program, pre-procurement programs can be implemented for other public agencies including BC Hydro, school board and health authorities.

Local Supply Chain Development
3.4

Green / local supply chain development:

  • Further expand public procurement policy to provide additional guidelines for procurement of IT, buildings and energy technologies that integrate local procurement, employment, and training targets while remaining cognizant of obligations under NAFTA, TILMA etc.
  • Develop detailed local purchasing guidelines for public sector food procurement working with other public agencies including school board and health authorities
  • Collaborate with partners in sustainable purchasing and build on city experience to develop private sector green / local purchasing guides
  • Deliver workshops to promote adoption of local products and technologies. E.g. Local green building product and technology workshops to encourage specification of local products.

Comments

Thank you for your input! The strategies and actions listed here are drafts. Read the final version of the Greenest City Action Plan.

Green Economy

Double the number of green jobs in the City by 2020, over 2010 levels.

There will be a greening existing businesses target, but that is still in development.

Other strategies for this goal

Foster Green Research, Education & Training
Create a Local Employment Action Plan
1 comments
Establish Vancouver’s Green Enterprise Zone
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